September 23, 2013

I think I'm slowly starting to get back into the swing of stamping again. It feels amazing--like sleeping in your own bed after a long vacation. I wanted to give my stamping mojo a bit of help getting started today, so I used this sketch for my inspiration.

Once I saw the sketch, I flipped through some of my stamps that I haven't used in a LONG time and decided to make a Breast Cancer card.

As soon as I saw this stamp set, I knew I had to buy it because my mother is a breast cancer survivor. This November she will be cancer free for seven years!

I stamped the floral image four times in Primrose Petal ink on Primrose Petal and Pink Pirouette card stock. I cut along the different layers of the floral image and layered them on top of each other. There are dimensionals behind each of the layers so it looks like the flower is exploding off the card. I finished the flower with a Rhinestone.

Of course I had to add the breast cancer ribbon behind the flower. I cut a length of ribbon and then used Glue Dots to hold it in place so the ribbon would keep its shape.

I added texture to the front of the card by using the Simply Scored Diagonal Plate to make the criss-cross pattern. Each of the score lines is 1/2" apart.

For the inside of the card, I rotated the thin strip of card stock up and down. I ran the top layer of card stock through the Big Shot using the Perfect Polka Dot Embossing Folder for added texture.

October is coming up quickly and that's breast cancer month. Remember, early detection is very important. I'm so glad my mother found it early and that she's still with me. Thanks for stopping by!

October 31, 2012

Happy Halloween! Today has been packed full of activities, but I still wanted to stop by and share a quick project with you.

I bought these pencils for my kids because we never have enough pencils when it comes to homework. They are constantly being misplaced, broken, or the erasers are gone. So now they have their own pencil holder--each with a different colored eraser so they don't get mixed up. Let's hope these don't get lost too!

I was able to make a pattern for the pencil holder so you can download it and make your own. I'm off and running to finish up costumes for tonight. Thanks for stopping by!

October 17, 2012

I've tried to sit down and stamp over the past week, but I couldn't do it. My stamping mojo was gone. I tried to start several projects, but nothing. So today I decided to start with baby steps...3x3 cards. They are simple and so easy to make. A friend gave me some Halloween stamps a while ago and I decided it was time to ink them up.

See? Quick and simple. To color in the witch, I used my Basic Black ink pad and a Blender Pen. I was going to use my Basic Black marker, but it would have been too dark. Using the Blender Pen also allowed me to add some shading on her shoes and hat.

I made each one of these with my children in mind. My youngest daughter absolutely *loves* spiders. Well, she doesn't like real spiders. However, if she sees a spider printed on a napkin, a rubber spider, a Halloween spider decoration, etc. then she claims it as hers. She's so funny. I think I'll tuck these in their lunch boxes on Halloween so they can have a fun surprise at school.

I'm off to try some more stamping now that my stamping mojo has had a little warm up. Thanks for stopping by!

August 16, 2012

It has been a while since I stamped a card for a challenge. These challenges always seem to stretch me as a stamper as I try a new color combination or try a new layout. It was difficult to narrow it down, but I decided to tackle this challenge.

Green, pink, and brown doesn't seem like such a difficult combination to work with, but I'll admit I struggled a little with this one. Pink and brown go so well together by themselves, that I couldn't figure out where to put the green. I finally figured it out and I love what I came up with.

The inspiration for this layout came from the talented Julie Buhler. I couldn't find her original card to link back to, but I still wanted to give her credit.

As you can see, I added a layer of green behind the Pink Pirouette layer and then used the same colored ribbon. I had to squeeze it in there somehow. I stamped the "Wish You Were Here" image in Chocolate Chip Craft ink and then embossed it with Clear Embossing Powder. I layered it on Pink Pirouette card stock and finished it off with the Scalloped Trim punches.

As I've mentioned before, I love the Embossing Folders and the texture they add to my projects. Even the butterflies are textured.

The inside of my card looks a lot like the front. I added embossing only to the bottom half of the Whisper White card stock so that there was still room for a message.

I hope you give the sketch challenges and color challenges a try. They'll definitely put you out of your comfort zone, but you'll grow as a stamper. Thanks for stopping by!

July 06, 2012

Now that it's after July 4th, I can show you the top secret project I was working on. One of my friends, that I've known since middle school, enlisted my help in proposing to his girlfriend. He wanted to take her on a scavenger hunt at Disneyland and he needed help making the clue cards. How exciting is that? I had so much fun helping him out.

Of course I couldn't post the card on here yet in case she saw it and it ruined the surprise. Now that they're engaged, I can show you.

I love this Mickey and Minnie stamp and how they look completely in love with each other. I thought it was perfect for their engagement. I made nine cards and they all looked the same. I didn't have enough time to make them all different.

I tried to keep everything Vanilla, Black, and Red. Some of the designer series paper seemed to be more white than vanilla, so I sponged the edges of all of it Black.

I printed up the clues on the inside of the card and finished it off with more sponging and designer series paper.

I knew when the engagement was happening, so I kept checking on facebook to see if he had popped the question yet. The clues were all for different rides she had to go on, but the lines were long so it took all day. She kept posting pictures of the different clues and talking about how much fun she was having. The suspense was killing me! He finally popped the question that night and she said yes! Congratulations John and Josanne!

May 18, 2011

Are you ready to see the second card I made using the same sketch as yesterday?

As you can see, I stuck more to the sketch today than I did yesterday. Even though I used the same sketch for my starting point, both cards look completely different. This card is much more elegant than the Christmas card.

I stamped the sentiment in Basic Black ink, cut it out with a circle nestability, embossed it with the nestability, and then sponged it with Basic Black ink. I layered it on top of a scalloped circle, and finished it off with some die-cut flowers. You can't see it in the photo, but the white flowers have a gorgeous shimmer to them.

Like yesterday's card, I used the same basic layout for the inside of my card only rotated 90 degrees. I also stamped another sentiment on the inside.

I think everything else on the card is pretty self-explanatory. If you have questions on how I made a certain part, just let me know. Thanks for stopping by!

May 17, 2011

I hope you enjoyed my Valentine's Day post yesterday. Today I thought I'd go with another holiday and show you a Christmas card. I used this Mojo Monday sketch for inspiration.

The inspiration for the colors in this card came from this gorgeous ribbon I had in my stash. I got this ribbon from a friend a while ago and I set it aside to use "later." I decided that it has been collecting dust long enough and it's time to use it.

I wheeled snowflakes all over the large Tempting Turquoise layer using Tempting Turquoise ink. The sentiment and snowflakes come from the Christmas Stamp Ensemble from JustRite. I finished off the front with some small white buttons.

For the inside of my card, I kept a similar layout. I decided to rotate it, however, so that the ribbon went across the bottom. This helped the card lay flatter when I closed it.

Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while know that I *love* sketch challenges. You also know that I regularly say that these layouts would work well with a variety of stamp sets for different occasions. Well, this week I've decided to show you what I mean. For the rest of this week I will be using this same sketch to create a variety of different cards. When I asked what you guys would like to see on my blog, this was one of the requests that I received.

May 09, 2011

When it comes to sketch challenges, I'm usually way behind and don't get them done on time. Today I surprised myself and got this weeks Mojo Monday sketch done on the same day it posted. That's a first!

As soon as I saw the layout, I knew exactly what I wanted to make.

I love this sentiment from Verve. "You have been my inspiration, my confidante, my friend. Because of you I've learned to love, to forgive, and to live a life filled with purpose." Isn't that beautiful? It expresses exactly how I feel.

If this card looks a little battered, that's because it is. I got all of my designer series paper glued on, sewed a border around the edge, stamped my sentiment, layered it, etc....and then glued it all on upside down! I put the sentiment on top of the striped part and then couldn't figure out why the red section looked so empty. Duh! Thank goodness the glue hadn't completely fixed itself in place because I managed to peel the layers apart without ripping my designer series paper or cardstock. It's a little warped and bent, but nothing tore. It was a close one.

At least it didn't matter on the inside of my card because all I'd have to do is flip it upside down and it would still look the same. Next time I'll pay better attention to what I'm doing. Thanks for stopping by!

April 11, 2011

I'm still here! Sorry for the long break in posting. I was knee deep in taxes, kids with pink eye and life in general. I'm caught up on life and it feels wonderful getting back to stamping again. I decided to start with this wonderful Mojo Monday sketch from last week.

The sentiment says, "Victory is always possible for the person who refuses to stop fighting. -Hill" It comes from Verve's "Believe" stamp set that was designed specifically for Breast Cancer. I made this card for my mother who is a breast cancer survivor. She was diagnosed five years ago this month. I'm so grateful that she has survived and that she's been cancer free for almost five years now.

I was going to add more to the card so that it looked just like the sketch challenge, but I didn't want to take away from the beautiful sentiment. I used this tutorial on SplitCoast for the ribbon around the sentiment.

The inside of the card has pretty much the same layout as the front. It has plenty of room for me to let my mom know how much I love her and how much she inspired me as she battled her cancer. Thanks for stopping by!

February 17, 2011

At some point each of us has reflected on our lives and wondered if what we're doing today will really make a difference in the future. We work so hard and sometimes have to wait so long to see any results. I struggle with being patient and waiting for my hard work to pay off. I made today's card with that feeling in mind.

This sentiment is such a good reminder for me. I need to have more faith that I'm not just spinning my wheels. One day I'll be able to enjoy the fruits of my labor, but for now I need to be patient.

All three pieces of the "vanilla" colored layers are from the Botanical Gazette DSP. The flower images on the layer that's tilted to the side came printed on the DSP. The only thing I stamped was the sentiment. I also sponged all of the DSP with Soft Suede ink.

My layout for this card came from this week's Viva la Verve sketch challenge.

I didn't add too many extras to the card, so I kept the inside of my card simple as well.

Just another piece of DSP sponged around the edges with Soft Suede ink. I have a lot to get done today so I'm off and running. Thanks for stopping by!

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